The continuing development of the structural systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,334,284 and 6,412,232 for the fabrication of low mass structural frameworks has demonstrated that in constructing a toroidal framework of toroidal elements a significant contribution to the mass of a toroidal framework of toroidal elements would be made by the use of the couplings described in those patents. Those couplings were designed to grasp a torsion element by surrounding a segment of the tube of such an element and locking with the tube or creating sufficient pressure within the coupling so as to fix the torsion element within the coupling so that torsional stress could be communicated between torsion elements by the coupling. Although such couplings, whether separate from the toroidal and torsion elements or integrated with such elements, are the best means for connecting the non-framework toroidal and torsion elements to form toroidal frameworks thereof, as progressively larger toroidal frameworks are built with toroidal frameworks that are constructed with progressively smaller toroidal frameworks, the necessity for connecting the frameworks to communicate torsional stress between them (and thus down to the smallest toroidal torsion elements in the structure) would require couplings whose mass was collectively so as to defeat the objective of large structural frameworks with low mass. Additionally, such couplings, because they must firmly grasp or lock to the elements they connect, would tend to restrict the potential for motion, and thus the degrees of freedom, of the toroidal elements in the toroidal framework they would connect. Therefore, the connection of toroidal torsion elements to create yet larger toroidal torsion frameworks of low mass requires that the collective contribution of mass from the means of connection be minimized in relation to the collective mass of all of the non-framework toroidal torsion elements. The present invention advances the development of low mass structures using the toroidal and torsional structural systems by providing a means for connecting toroidal and torsion frameworks which avoids the large size and mass of couplings which operate by surrounding parts of the tube of component toroidal frameworks.
The prior art that this invention builds upon is generally in the field of structures, particularly those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,334,284 and 6,412,232, and therefore under U.S. Class 52, particularly sub-classes 80.1, 81.1, 698, and 712, and Class 403, particularly subclasses 385, 389, and 396.